Amelia Winger

The Houston Chronicle • 19th December 2024

Texas teacher salary explorer: See how your district’s pay compares

Across the state of Texas, over 365,000 full-time teachers are responsible for educating Texas' more than 5.5 million elementary, middle, and high school students. The Houston Chronicle has analyzed and visualized pay records from the Texas Education Agency to help shed light on teacher salaries at Texas' roughly 1,200 public school districts.

Across the state of Texas, over 365,000 full-time teachers are responsible for educating Texas' more than 5.5 million elementary, middle, and high school...

The Houston Chronicle • 11th December 2024

Inside Daniel Perry’s online life before he killed an armed BLM protester

The Chronicle is publishing a portion of that digital trail here for the first time. It is drawn from electronic communications that the Travis County District Attorney’s Office introduced as evidence during his murder trial and sentencing hearing, as well as information prosecutors shared with state officials while arguing that he should not be pardoned. It has been edited for length and clarity, as well as to remove some profanity, graphic imagery and details of his life that could not be inde...

The Houston Chronicle • 25th November 2024

We shopped for Thanksgiving at 5 groceries in Houston. Here's what it cost

As Houstonians gather around the Thanksgiving table and reflect on their blessings this year, it seems fair to say that few will put grocery prices at the top of that list.

As Houstonians gather around the Thanksgiving table and reflect on their blessings this year, it seems fair to say that few will put grocery prices at the top of that list.

Food prices are up more than 25% since 2019, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture, even though some progress has been made in the fight again...

The Houston Chronicle • 28th August 2024

Harris County FEMA applications break record after Beryl

“It was 11:52 when I heard a boom, boom, boom, boom,” ▶ Powell said.

Rattled, the 72-year-old stayed on her couch until 3 a.m. when she heard another ▶ boom. “I said, ‘Oh Lord, what done happen now?’ That’s when the kitchen fell in.”

The Houston Chronicle • 6th May 2024

Lakewood shooter had encounters with 50 officers before attack

Disclaimer: This introduction contains sounds of gunshots and violent language that some readers may find disturbing.

Moreno was clutching the 7-year-old’s hand on Feb. 11 as she made her way through the halls of Joel Osteen's Lakewood Church. She fired dozens of rounds from an AR-style rifle, shouting: ▶ “All I need is help.”

In a series of 911 calls Moreno placed in January 2023, often in the middle of the night, she ▶ whispered that she was convinced her communications were being intercepte...

Houston Chronicle • 21st March 2024

Has HPD suspended an investigation into an incident you reported? Search our database.

Houston Police Chief Troy Finner, left, greets Mayor John Whitmire as he arrives at Houston Crime Stoppers to speak to law enforcement officers on Thursday, Jan. 4, 2024 in Houston.Brett Coomer/Staff photographerEver since Houston Police Chief Troy Finner announced last month that the department had suspended more than 264,000 case investigations due to lack of staffing, many Houstonians have wondered: Did I ever report an incident to HPD that was dropped for this reason? Finner has assigned sco...

The Houston Chronicle • 19th February 2024

How $100M turned a vacant downtown Houston highrise office into luxury apartments

This is part of a series on office-to-residential conversions in Houston. Check out another installment of the series here and stay tuned for future articles.

This is part of a series on office-to-residential conversions in Houston. Check out another installment of the series here and stay tuned for future articles.

But the recent $100 million transformation of a 52-year-old office highrise in downtown Houston into a 372-unit apartment community offers a case study into how one developer overc...

Miami Herald • 16th November 2023

DeSantis talks tough on China, takes cash from China-backed company

Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis has made his tough stance on China a signature issue in his presidential campaign.

DeSantis has gone on the offensive against Chinese influence in recent months, signing a bill restricting what land Chinese companies and citizens can buy in Florida and suspending state scholarships to several Florida schools over alleged links to China.

But this August he took a check for more than $11,000 from the CEO of a Tampa refrigerant company with direct backing from China. It...

Miami Herald • 29th June 2023

Heirs to Black-owned homes face ramped-up foreclosures. Here’s who’s pushing back

When Henry Scott’s mother died two years ago, there was never a doubt he’d want to keep her home.

PublicSource • 20th January 2023

Camp closure marks new era in Pittsburgh's homelessness policies

Two legal advocacy groups are urging Pittsburgh and Allegheny County officials to develop policies for respectfully decommissioning homeless encampments, citing December’s closure of one along Stockton Avenue as a potential violation of the constitutional rights of people who lived there.

“The government can do a lot, but they have to do it in a constitutional way,” said Vic Walczak, the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania’s legal director. “Unceremoniously taking and destroying peop